Gallup: President Lee’s Approval Drops to 38%... Falls to 30% Range, Lowest on Record [PolPol News]

Approval and Disapproval Balanced Among Voters in Their 40s and 50s; Other Age Groups Mostly Negative
22% Say Seungwon Kim Is Suitable, 13% Support Hyeyin Yong
55% Oppose Dispatching Troops to Hormuz

A public opinion poll has revealed that President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating has dropped to the 30 percent range, marking the lowest level since he took office. Regarding the nominations of Kim Seung-won for Minister of Justice and Yong Hye-in for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, opinions that they are unsuitable far exceeded those that found them suitable.

According to a regular poll conducted by Gallup Korea from September 8 to 10, 2026, which interviewed 1,000 adults nationwide via mobile phone by live interviewers (sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, response rate of 9.4%), 38% of respondents said that President Lee is "doing well" as president. This figure represents a drop of 2 percentage points from last week's survey and is the lowest level since his inauguration. The negative assessment, stating that he is "not doing well," stood at 51%, the same as last week.

Gallup Korea reported that, by age group, the positive and negative evaluations are nearly even among those in their 40s and 50s, while negative views predominate in all other age brackets.

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung are departing from Seoul Airport in Seongnam on the 10th after completing the state visit to France. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Among those who evaluated President Lee positively (376 respondents), 19% cited "diplomacy," and 13% cited the "economy/livelihood" as reasons. Among those who had a negative view (511 respondents), 24% pointed to "real estate policy," 16% to "personnel appointments," and 10% to the "economy/livelihood." As confirmation hearings approach, controversies surrounding personnel appointments appear to have become a major issue.

In terms of party support, the approval rating for the Democratic Party of Korea remained unchanged from last week at 38%, while the People Power Party recorded 29%, down by 1 percentage point from last week. The Reform Party stood at 3%, while both the Cho Kuk Reformation Party and the Progressive Party were each at 2%.

This survey also included questions about the suitability of ministerial nominees.

For Kim Seung-won, 22% of respondents found him "suitable," while 43% thought he was "unsuitable." Regarding Yong Hye-in, 13% found her "suitable," and 61% considered her "unsuitable." Gallup Korea noted that, based on suitability surveys before and after confirmation hearings, the lowest ratings to date were held by former Prime Minister nominee Moon Chang-keuk (9%) and former Budget and Planning Minister nominee Lee Hye-hoon (16%).

Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's request for South Korean troops to be dispatched to the Strait of Hormuz, 55% of respondents said that South Korea "should not send troops or assets," while 32% said it "should." Concerning the ongoing conflict, which is being framed as the U.S. and Israel versus Iran, 67% said they "support neither side," 25% supported the "U.S.-Israel alliance," and 5% supported "Iran."

For more detailed information on this poll, please consult the website of the National Election Poll Deliberation Commission.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.